ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Electronic cigarette

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are devices that look like regular cigarettes, but they don't use tobacco, smoke or fire. Instead, they work by heating up a liquid, usually one made of nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals that turns into a vapor when you use it. When you inhale this vapor, it feels like you're smoking a regular cigarette and you can get the nicotine that you normally get from a cigarette. Without the smoke, it's much less harsh on your lungs and you don't get any of the other bad stuff that you would get from smoking.